Comparison

Halftone vs Readive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Halftone

This app provides a seamless reading experience for comics and manga from various sources like Komga, Kavita, and cloud storage. It features unique zoom controls for comfortable one-handed reading and supports multiple file formats.

Highlights
  • Connects to Komga, Kavita, and other OPDS catalogs
  • Hold Zoom for one-handed reading
  • Page-level progress sync
  • Supports various file formats (CBZ, CBR, PDF)
  • Webtoon mode for long-strip scrolling
  • Privacy features like Incognito reading
Read full description

The reader your comic and manga server deserves — and the comfiest way to read on a phone. Now on the Mac too: one Premium purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, and your place syncs through Komga, Kavita or iCloud. Halftone connects straight to the places you already keep comics: Komga and Kavita (native, not just OPDS), Audiobookshelf, any OPDS catalog, SMB shares on your NAS, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, and the files on your device. No account with us. No middleman server. No ads. PANEL VIEW Read one panel at a time, in the right order — manga's right-to-left included. Tap or swipe to step through the page, hold to peek at the whole thing, and pick Overlay or Fade to dim everything but the panel you're on. HOLD ZOOM Press and hold anywhere to magnify, then pan with the same finger — one-handed, for dense pages and small lettering. Rest your thumb at a screen edge and the page keeps moving. YOUR SERVER, FIRST-CLASS • Komga and Kavita: native API clients — series, collections, page-by-page streaming • Audiobookshelf: your server's comics, with its covers and progress • Two-way, page-level progress sync — stop on your iPhone, and the server's web reader opens on the same page • OPDS for everything else: Codex, Ubooquity, Calibre-Web, Stump, and more • SMB and WebDAV — your NAS, found automatically • Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, and any Files-app folder • Stream page by page without importing (CBZ, PDF, ePub and most CBR/RAR), or pin chapters for offline with one tap • Synced folders: point Halftone at a folder on your NAS or cloud drive and it mirrors the whole tree • iCloud sync carries your place to your other devices through your own iCloud — for imported comics and every source with no sync of its own A READER BUILT FOR COMICS • Apple Books–style page curl that folds at the spine — or a classic slide • Double-page spreads that pair themselves, with spine shadow and paper margins • True right-to-left for manga: page order, tap zones, curl, and scrubber all follow • A proper webtoon mode: smooth long-strip scrolling, detected automatically • AI Upscale: low-resolution scans are sharpened on-device as you read • Crop Borders trims scanned margins so the art fills the screen, and can drop credit strips • Tap zones your way: Left-Right, L-Shaped, Top-Bottom, or off • Match Page backgrounds: margins take the page's own color, or a soft blur of it A LIBRARY THAT KEEPS UP • Built for thousands of files: search down to the single comic, collections, merge and move • Folders for loose comics, so one-shots and odd issues stay together • Reads ComicInfo.xml on import: real series names, correct chapter order, right-to-left detected • Wi-Fi transfer from any computer's browser • Bookmarks and a farthest-read marker — re-read an earlier chapter without losing your place • One-tap backup to a folder you pick; export as standard CBZ with ComicInfo.xml • Privacy tools: Incognito reading, Face ID app lock, hidden comics READS EVERYTHING CBZ/ZIP, CBR/RAR, CB7/7z, PDF, image-based ePub (DRM-free), and plain folders of images. FAIR PRICING, NO DARK PATTERNS Free is genuinely free: your whole local library, no series limit, full quality, spreads, right-to-left, webtoon scrolling, Hold Zoom, and the Panel View preview — and it never expires. Premium adds the connected half — servers, cloud drives, streaming, synced folders, iCloud sync, backup, privacy tools — plus the full reader: Panel View, AI Upscale, page curl, Crop Borders, spine shadow, and Match Page. Try it free for 24 hours. Lifetime unlock, or a small subscription. Nothing you imported or downloaded is ever deleted if you stop paying. SAMPLE ARTWORK IN SCREENSHOTS "Pepper&Carrot" by David Revoy (CC-BY 4.0, peppercarrot.com) · "Give My Regards to Black Jack" by Shuho Sato (author's free-use declaration) · US public-domain Golden Age comics. Privacy Policy: https://halftonereader.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://halftonereader.app/terms.html

About

Readive

Organize and read your EPUB, PDF, and comic files in one place. Listen to audiobooks with text-to-speech and customize your reading experience with adjustable fonts and themes. Track your progress and discover new content.

Highlights
  • Import EPUB, PDF, TXT, CBZ, CBR, ZIP, RAR, 7z, and audio files
  • Connect to SMB/NAS, FTP/SFTP, WebDAV, OPDS, Dropbox, OneDrive
  • Offline reading of downloaded books
  • Adjustable fonts, themes, and page direction
  • Audiobook playback with text-to-speech
  • Organize library into collections
  • Track reading history and progress
Features
Read full description

Read EPUB, PDF and comics. Listen to audiobooks. Readive brings your own files together in one library on iPhone and iPad, so you can pick up where you left off. BRING YOUR OWN BOOKS - Import EPUB, PDF, TXT, CBZ, CBR, ZIP, RAR, 7z and audio files such as MP3. - Browse and import from SMB/NAS, FTP/SFTP, WebDAV, OPDS, Dropbox and OneDrive. - Connect to BookManager on your local network to read and import books from your PC. - Keep downloaded books on your device for offline reading. - Use Find on the web (Beta) to browse free ebooks and audiobooks from external sources and import supported files. Check each work’s rights, terms of use and availability in your country. Downloads may be limited by source or title, and the Beta feature may change or end. READ YOUR WAY - Adjust fonts, themes, page direction and viewing options. - Read comics with zoom, image filters and support for password-protected archives. - Choose the original layout or optimized reading view for EPUB. - Save bookmarks and highlights, and return to your reading position. LISTEN AS YOU READ - Play audiobooks and resume from your saved position. - Listen to supported text with text-to-speech. - Use playback speed controls and a sleep timer. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR READING - Organize your library into collections. - View reading history, a reading calendar and daily activity. - Add book ratings and keep track of your progress. FREE AND PREMIUM Readive works without a Readive account. The free version includes ads. Premium is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Premium removes ads and adds themes, fonts, reading insights, reading music and the optional Supertonic offline TTS model. Reading music and the offline TTS model require separate downloads. Imported files are stored on your device. Optional cloud connections and sync use the services you choose. Supported formats and features depend on the file and operating system. Purchases are billed through your App Store account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled and can be managed in device settings. Lifetime access does not expire or renew automatically. A lifetime purchase does not automatically cancel an existing subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Halftone4 screens
Readive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Halftone at none against Readive's shown. On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Halftone sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Readive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Halftone ships an update weekly, Readive every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Halftone versus Readive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalftoneReadive
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB148 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBony Yousufsungbin jung

Customer experience

Halftone

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Readive

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Halftone

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly3 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$19.99
3 purchases

Readive

Subscriptions2
  • Readive Premium 월간$0.991 Month
  • Readive Premium 연간7 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Readive Premium Lifetime$17.99

Questions

Is Halftone free?
Halftone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Readive free?
Readive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Halftone or Readive have ads?
Readive shows ads; Halftone does not.
Which is updated more often, Halftone or Readive?
Halftone ships an update weekly, and Readive every 5 days. Most recently, Halftone was updated on November 10, 2026 and Readive on November 13, 2026.

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